Baylor - Texas 2013: Early Prediction, Spread, And Preview For Big 12 Football Game

On Saturday, No.9 Baylor and No.25 Texas meet in each school’s final game of the 2013 college football season. Depending on how the events of the day play out, the contest could end up deciding the Big 12 champion.

Baylor, Texas and Oklahoma State all enter the final weekend of the regular season with the same conference record. The Cowboys currently hold the tiebreaker over both clubs, having defeated each one of them in their last two games. A win for them would give them the Big 12 title. However, if they falter to rival Oklahoma, the matchup between Baylor and Texas will become the unofficial Big 12 Championship Game.

The two teams have the same conference record, but Baylor has been much more dominant this year. Before the Bears’ first and only loss on Nov.23, they were considered a contender for the BCS National Championship. The Longhorns have only one less loss in the Big 12, but they have never been in the national title discussion. Texas had two losses before conference play even started, falling to BYU and Ole Miss in convincing fashion in the first two weeks of September.

In their loss to Oklahoma State, Baylor’s offense was shut down for the only time this season. Even with that 17-point performance, the Bears still score more than any other team in the country with 55.4 points per game. They are led by quarterback Bryce Petty, who’s thrown for 3,557 yards, 28 touchdowns and two interceptions. He’ll look to take advantage of a Texas pass defense that has, at times, given up a lot of yards through the air.

Because of all their big wins and dynamic offense, it might be a surprise if this contest is a close one towards the end. At most Las Vegas casinos, the betting line lists Baylor as a heavy favorite, giving 15 points to Texas. The have been especially good in front of their home fans. No team in the country has a better record than Baylor at home against the point spread. They have covered every spread at Floyd Casey Stadium.

The Longhorns have played very well since the first few weeks of the season. However, they haven’t dominated in any particular area, coming in at 43rd in points scored and 53rd in points allowed. They upset then-No.12 Oklahoma, but lost their other two games to ranked opponents.

Texas, though, might be catching Baylor at the right time. After Baylor’s blowout loss to Oklahoma State, they barely squeaked by TCU. The Horned Frogs entered the game at 4-7 (2-6 in conference) and lost by three points.

Case McCoy and company will look to score on a struggling Baylor defense. On the season, they allow 22.2 points per game. In the last three weeks, though, they’ve surrendered an average of over 40 points. Texas’s senior signal caller will look to avoid turning the ball over, which has been a battle for him this season. In the team’s last game against Texas Tech, he didn’t throw an interception. He had thrown nine picks in the previous five games.